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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. mine — for digging
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. clip — a video
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — a dog's sound

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com